Tension releasing and restoring device for sewing-machines.



PATENTED JUNE 30 1903.

J. G. GREENE.

TENSION RELEASING AND RESTORING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

-- APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1902.

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No. 732,407. PATENTED JUNE GO, 1903. J. G. GREENE.

TENSION RELEASING AN'D RESTORING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1902.

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UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT O EIcE.

JAMES G. GREENE, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TENSION RELEASING AND RESTORING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,407, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed July 2,1902. Serial No. 114,106. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES G. GREENE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, I

' released manually and will be retained in a released condition until the machine is started and will then be automatically restored by a moving part connected with or operated from the driving-shaft of the machine before the first stitch of a new stitching operation iscompleted and preferably before the needle reaches the work on its descent to form the first stitch.

In stopping a treadle-driven machine or a machine not having an automatic stop-motion device the operator usually applies the hand to the hand-wheel or fiy-wheel as a manual brake, and for the convenient manual release of the tension on the upper or needle thread or threads the present invention provides a tension-releasing lever, one end of which preferably extends adjacent to the handwheel or fly-wheel of the machine, so that in stopping the machine manually the thumb of the operator can readily depress or otherwise manipulate the said tension-releasing lever to release the tension or tensions, a spring-catch being preferably employed to automatically, retain said lever in such position as to hold the tension or tensions released until a projection or lug on the hand-wheel or some other suitable part operatively connected with the driving-shaft of the machine Will disengage or kick off the said springcatch or retaining device, so that with the assistance of a restoring-spring or equivalent device the tension on the thread or threads will be automatically restored by removing the tension-releasing lever from its tensionreleasing engagement withthe tension device or devices.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a sewing-machine with the invention applied thereto and with the parts in position to hold the tensions released. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the parts to which the in vention relates in normal or tension-restored position. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 4 is a detail front end view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, 12 denotes the work-plate, and 13 the arm, of a sewing-ma- 6 chine, which may be of any suitable or approved construction. Journaled in the upper part of the arm 13 is the driving-shaft 14, provided with the usual handwheel or flywheel 15. Mounted on the arm 13 is a bracket 16, serving to support the thread-spools 1'7 and the tension devices 18, which latter are disk tension devices of well-known construction. 'Pivotally supported on or in the bracket .16 is'a tension-releasing lever 19, having at its rear end a thumb-piece20, said lever being in the present instance'provided at its forward end with twofingers 21, so disposed relative to the said tension devices that a downward movement of the rear end. of said lever will 8::

lift said fingers, and thus causethem to force the tension-disks apart by a wedging action, andthereby release the tension on the threads running from the said spools through the said tension devices.

Pivotally attached to the rear end of the lever 19 is a holding and releasing latch or catch 22, against which presses a spring 23 to force a hook 24, with which said latch or catch is provided, into holding engagement with a shoulder 25, formed in the present instance on a bracket 26, fixed to a suitable hub on the arm 13, when the rear end of the lever 19 is depressed. The latch or catch 22 is also provided with a releasing projection 27, 5 which when the hook 24 is engaged with the shoulder 25 extends into the path of move-- ment of a rounded or beveled lug 28 on the fly-wheel 15, so that during the first rotation of the driving-shaft after the machine has been stopped and the tension manually released the said lug will engage said projection 27 and force the hook 24 out of engagement with the shoulder 25, and the spring 2. will then instantly lift the rear end of the lever 19 and thus by moving the fingers 21 downward out of engagement with the tensiondisks the tension on the threads running through the tension devices will be automatically restored.

In the use of the invention the operator in stopping the machine presses with the hand on the fiy-wheel 15 to stop the machine, and then with the thumb or fingers presses on the thumb-piece 20, depressing the rear end of the lever 19 and releasing the tensions, as already indicated, the spring-pressed latch or catch serving to hold the lever 19 in tensionreleased position until the lug 28 on the flywhee'l disen gages said latch or catch, and thus automatically restores the tension 011 the threads running through the tension devices 18, as above described.

The invention is not to be understood as being limited to the details herein shown and described, as these may be varied widely without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, any suitable part moving with or operated from the driving-shaft might be utilized to effect the automatic restoration of the tension on the thread or threads before the first stitch of a new sewing operation is completed instead of the lug 28 on the flywheel, and other forms of retaining devices than the spring catch or latch herein shown and described for automatically holding the tension or tensions released might be utilized in connection with the lower thread or threads of sewing-machines instead of or in addition to the upper thread or threads of sewing machines, if desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a sewing-machine, the combination with a tension device or devices, of a manually-operated tensionreleasing device, an automatic retaining device independent of said tension device or devices, to maintain the latter released, and an automatic tension-restoring device.

2. In a sewing-machine, the combination with a tension device or devices, of a manually-operated tension-releasing device, an antomatic retaining device independent of said tension device or devices, to hold the latter released, and an automatic tension-restoring device comprising a part operated from or connected with the drivin -shaft of the machine; so that the released tension or tensions will be automatically maintained in released condition until the machine is started and will then be automatically restored before the first stitch of a new sewing operation is completed.

3. In a sewing-machine, the combination with a tension device or devices, of a handwheel or fly-wheel on the driving-shaft of the machine, a tension-releasing lever extending adjacent to said hand-wheel or fly-wheel, a catch or latch for holding said lever in tension-released position, and automatic means for releasing said catch or latch to restore the tensions when the machine is started.

4. In a sewi11g1nac11ine, the combination with a tension device or devices, of a handwheel or flywheel on the driving-shaft of the machine, a tension-releasing lever extending adjacent to said hand-wheel or fly-wheel, a catch or latch for holding said lever in tension-released position, and automatic means for releasing said catch or latch to restore the tensions when the machine is started, said antomatic means comprising a lug or part on said wheel arranged to release said catch or latch, and a spring for restoring said lever to normal position.

5. The combination with one or more tension devices, as 18, of a tension-releasing lever arranged to engage said tension device or devices to release the tension on the thread or threads running through the same, a fly-wheel to which the rear end of said lever is adj aeent, a spring-catch to hold the said lever in tension-released position, and a lug or part on said fly-wheel arranged to automatically release said spring-catch when the machine is started.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES G. GREENE.

IVitnesses:

HENRY CALvER, IIENRY .T. MILLER. 

